The reopening of the Austin History Center at the John Henry Faulk Building has received wide local media coverage, reflecting the significance of the project for Austin’s cultural and civic life. Below is a selection of recent reporting that highlights the reopening, the renovation, and the expanded role of the History Center as a public resource.
Austin’s New Home for History
The Austin Chronicle featured the reopening as a cover story, focusing on the importance of public access to original historical materials and the expanded opportunities created by the new campus.
“Having a big space like this and the one next door, where these kinds of things can be showcased so the history of Austin can really be seen by the public, by people who are here just coming in town, or people doing research at UT or whatever, that’s what I look forward to.”
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‘Transformational’: Austin History Center announces grand reopening
KXAN emphasized the scale of the project and the vision for the History Center as a multi building campus. The coverage also highlighted long term goals for the surrounding area to function as a historic corridor or museum district.
“So really, it’s a campus now.”
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Austin History Center celebrates reopening after renovation
KVUE focused on the scope of the renovation and the role of preservation in shaping the future.
“When you go to the History Center, when you’re involved in the process of preserving the documents, artifacts, audio, visual… you are building something that will outlive you.”
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Austin History Center reopens after move to long shuttered library
CultureMap highlighted the reopening as the end of a years long vacancy and the return of the building to public use.
“The Austin History Center, which has been closed since February 2025 in order to move its collection, reopened in early December at the John Henry Faulk Library next door.”
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Austin History Center reopening in larger renovated space
The Austin Business Journal underscored the increased scale of the new facility.
“The Faulk Library Building is 100,000 square feet, which is larger than the Austin History Center’s first home in the original Austin Public Library building.”
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Editor’s Pick: The rest is history
ATX Today highlighted the long timeline behind the project and the expanded public offerings.
“The new renovation, which has been in the works for eight years, will debut exhibit spaces, expanded programming, and more capacity for Austin’s historic archives.”
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Austin Signal radio show, December 15
KUT focused on the visitor experience inside the Faulk Building.
“Now the first floor, if you walk in today, you see a deep dive on the archival process with these wonderful artifacts from Austin History.”
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Together, this coverage reflects broad community interest in the reopening of the Austin History Center and the renewed visibility of Austin’s municipal archives. The John Henry Faulk Building has returned to active public use, supporting preservation, research, and engagement with the city’s history.
